A STRING of multi-million pound property deals - including the sale of a é37.4m mansion in London - helped a property consultancy boost profits by 30 per cent last year.

Savills said confidence among buyers of upmarket properties showed signs of picking up, especially in the capital where its luxury homes sold for an average é1.3 million last year.

The group, which also markets office blocks, retail parks, warehouses and hotels, saw annual underlying profits climb 30 per cent to é57.2m. That was sufficient to earn staff a combined bonus pool of é84m, up from é79.4m last year, with 90 per cent of employees set to benefit.